Monthly Archives: May 2009

http://www.asianweek.com/2009/05/20/chinese-american-hero-john-j-sie/

Chinese American Hero: John J. Sie

May 20, 2009

Name in English: John J. Sie

Name in Chinese: 谢诚刚 [謝誠剛]

Name in Pinyin: Xiè Chénggāng

Gender: Male

Birth Year: 1936

Birth Place: China

Current location: Denver, Colorado

Philanthropy: Yes

Profession(s): Cable Television Executive, Entertainment Visionary, Philanthropist

Education: Bachelor Electrical Engineering, Manhattan College, 1957; Master Electrical Engineering, Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn

Awards: 2003, Inductee, Cable Television Hall of Fame; 2001, Chairman’s Award, Cable Television Administration and Marketing Association (CTAM); 2001, Stanley B. Thomas Lifetime Achievement Award, National Association of Minorities in Communications (NAMIC); 2001, Bridge Builder Asian American Leadership Award, The AURA Fund and aMedia, Inc. ; 2001, Bill Daniels Business Leader of the Year, The Denver Business Journal; 1986, Grand Tam Award CTAM; 1982, Robert H. Beisswenger Memorial Award (Vanguard Associates Award) by the National Cable Television Association (NCTA); 1960, RCA David Sarnoff Fellowship.

Contribution(s): John J. Sie is the Founder and Chairman and former President and CEO of Starz Entertainment LLC. Sie, a native of China, came to the United States at the age of 14 in 1950. He stayed at a Catholic orphanage on Staten Island, N.Y. until he graduated from high school in 1953 and went to college. In 1960, he co-founded Micro State Electronics Corp, later becoming president of it as a subsidiary of Raytheon. In 1972, Sie joined Jerrold Electronics Corp, a subsidiary of General Instrument Co., as Sr. Vice President of the CATV division. In 1977, he joined Showtime Entertainment as Sr. Vice President of Sales and Marketing advocating the then revolutionary idea that people would be willing to pay for more than one premium cable channel. In 1984, Sie joined Tele-Communications Inc., as Senior Vice President in charge of strategic planning, programming, marketing, technology, and government relations. He pushed cable operators to pool their money and buy programming that would be attractive to much bigger audiences than the 30% of US households they were then getting. Most industry professionals thought he was insane but when the NFL agreed to air Sunday games on ESPN in the same year it increased cable viewer ratings tenfold. In 1993, he founded Starz Encore, pioneering theme channels and subscription video-on-demand, now mainstream concepts of the cable television industry. Sales neared $1 billion yearly by the time he retired as President and CEO in 2004.

Philanthropy: The Anna and John J Sie Foundation supports the sharing of knowledge amongst peoples and cultures in the global community, with emphasis on media, business, technology, and education. The foundation is a supporter of the Starz Film Center, the University of Colorado’s “The Sie Family Down Syndrome Break-Through Research Initiative”, the Denver School of Science and Technology, the Denver Art Museum, and the Festival Italiano. Sie also sits on the Board of Trustees for the Denver Art Museum and the University of Denver.

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Sie, John J. [MC1957]

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http://www.riverdalepress.com/printfull.php?sid=8689&current_edition=2009-05-21

Commissioner Kelly congratulates Manhattan College graduates

Manhattan College’s graduation ceremony was also a celebration of the school’s president, Thomas Scanlan, who is leaving his post later this year, after 22 years.

The speaker at the ceremony was New York City Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly, who graduated from the school in 1963. In a copy of the speech provided by the college, Mr. Kelly spoke both about Mr. Scanlan’s accomplishments, such as increasing applications to the school by 120 percent, raising SAT scores of those accepted by 100 points, and what he called “a wholesale transformation into a residential college and one of the premiere institutions of higher learning in the country.”

Mr. Kelly also spoke directly to the more than 700 graduates, urging them to stay true to the school’s core principles.

“They are manifest, Brother Scanlan, in your vocation, handed down from the Christian Brothers through generations of Manhattan graduates: a commitment to service, social justice, and the dignity of every human being,” Mr. Kelly said.

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http://www.pitchengine.com/mcguiresponsel/mcguire-sponsel-welcomes-joseph-grabowski/12142/

McGuire Sponsel Welcomes Joseph Grabowski

May 19, 2009

Carmel, Ind.— McGuire Sponsel is pleased to announce that Joseph Grabowski has joined the company as marketing manager in the Dallas area. Grabowski will manage McGuire Sponsel relationships as well as perform business development duties.

Prior to joining McGuire Sponsel, Grabowski has more than a decade of experience managing relationships for cost segregation and other specialty tax services.

Grabowski graduated from Manhattan College with a Bachelor of Science degree. He resides in Dallas, Texas with wife Christina where he enjoys cycling and swimming.

For more information, visit www.mcguiresponsel.com.

About McGuire Sponsel

McGuire Sponsel is a specialty tax group that works with CPA firms to better serve their current and prospective clients. Its unique model utilizes engineers, accountants and business consultants to provide Research Tax Credit and cost segregation analysis. Located in Carmel, Ind., McGuire Sponsel employs a proven, methodical approach to this procedure that withstands IRS scrutiny. Visit www.mcguiresponsel.com for more information.

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Grabowski, Joseph [MC????]

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Dear John..
         I believe that Joe is a member of the Class of 1977.
                      Mike

[JR: Thanks, Mike. Much appreciated. ]

Grabowski, Joseph [MC1977]

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